Science and Religion in Latin America

This project seeks to understand and document the present condition of science and religion in Latin America, to promote research and education in the field and to help break down the current isolation of scholars in the region. Specific activities will include: (1) Research into the state of knowledge, resources and scholarship in science and religion in Latin America. (2) Three conferences: 2011 in Mexico City; 2012 in São Paulo and 2013 in Oxford. (3) Two books, including a translation into Spanish and Portuguese of the Cambridge Companion to Science and Religion, and a new volume, by Latin American scholars, compiled during the project. (4) Two essay competitions, for junior and senior scholars respectively. The outputs will comprise a Capability Report on Science and Religion in Latin America, conference materials, the two books, essays and media coverage. Among the outcomes, we expect: (1) At least 60% of those attending conferences to acquire new perspectives and mix outside their disciplines. (2) To encourage, by means of the competitions, at least sixty-five new essays by younger scholars and thirty-five new papers by senior scholars. (3) That the new volumes will allow regional scholars to engage more easily with contemporary issues and develop a stronger regional tradition of scholarship. (4) An increase of scholarly collaboration, with at least 40 new intra-regional collaborative links and 10 new extra-regional links anticipated as arising from each conference. As enduring impacts, the project leaders hope to secure a more prominent position for science and religion in university curricula, promote greater participation by Latin American academics in worldwide scholarship and contribute to an informed public understanding of contemporary issues in science and religion. The expansion of collaborative links between the Ian Ramsey Centre and its associates in this project is also likely to lead to new opportunities for research and education in the future.